Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 6 July (WA 32), why information about the amount paid to approved independent sector places for performing abortions is commercially sensitive.

Earl Howe: Information is considered commercially sensitive and/or confidential where disclosure of prices may affect ongoing or future procurement for services by the department or the National Health Service.

Afghanistan

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to make an announcement about the units which will serve in Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick 13 from October.

Lord Astor of Hever: I refer the noble Lord to my Written Statement of 14 July 2010 (Official Report, cols. WS 31-34).

Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI2010/93)

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93).

Baroness Wilcox: The Government are aware of the different points of view expressed by various stakeholders about certain aspects of the Agency Workers Regulations and are currently considering the way forward.

Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI2010/93)

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue guidance notes on the operation of the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93).

Baroness Wilcox: Guidance will be provided on all aspects of the Agency Workers Regulations prior to the implementation date of October 2011. Proposals for developing this guidance will be announced in due course.

Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI2010/93)

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation procedures they are following prior to publishing guidance notes on the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93).

Baroness Wilcox: Guidance will be provided on all aspects of the Agency Workers Regulations prior to the implementation date of October 2011. Proposals for developing this guidance will be announced in due course.

Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the process for granting consent for genetically modified organisms by the European Union.

Lord Henley: The details of the Government's policy on genetically modified (GM) organisms, and therefore also our assessment of the European Union (EU) regulatory regime, is currently being determined.
	Later this year the European Commission is due to issue a report that reviews the operation of the EU legislation on the environmental release of GMOs and the marketing of GM food and feed products.

Agriculture: Maps

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 29 March (WA 332-4), whether they have analysed the reasons for the rate of return of the maps supplied by the Rural Payments Agency; and, if so, how the agency will use that analysis in future remapping exercises.

Lord Henley: The Rural Land Register Mapping Update project was rolled out progressively across England from June 2009.
	Around 113,000 maps were produced, of which 5,750 related to single payment scheme claims selected for inspection. To make it easier for farmers, these maps were sent out after the inspection results were incorporated and therefore have not been counted within the mapping update project.
	Within the mapping update project, around 107,250 farmers were issued with maps which were sent out over a number of weeks. Farmers were asked to check their maps and respond within 28 days. Of these, just under 102,000 completed the process, either agreeing their maps or requesting changes.
	RPA received around 80 per cent of farmer responses within the requested time period. RPA repeatedly tried to contact any farmers who did not respond within this time period and all but 5,250 farmers responded. RPA assumed that these remaining farmers agreed their maps.
	This comparatively high return rate was generated as a result of specific RPA activity to generate awareness of the mapping update project and to highlight the importance of farmers responding. Industry representatives supported this and carried the messages through to their members while a variety of response methods including fax, text, and automated phone line mechanisms were added to the traditional postal responses. Face to face meetings with members of RPA's specialist mapping team provided an additional route in cases where particular circumstances existed.
	The detail of response mechanisms, methods of communication channels used, and views of farmers and stakeholders would be considered as part of the planning of any future mapping exercise.

Apprenticeships

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the number of apprentices likely to receive their apprenticeship on (a) the Crossrail project, (b) the Birmingham New Street development, (c) the upgrade of the Tyne and Wear Metro, and (d) the extension of the Manchester Metrolink.

Earl Attlee: Crossrail Ltd expects that 400 apprentices will be involved on the project. Further training opportunities are expected to be provided by the Tunnelling Academy linked to the Crossrail project. Information in respect of apprenticeships on the other projects is not available.

Armed Forces: Cyprus

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the renovation of the Ledra Palace Hotel in Cyprus, where British troops are based; and when the renovation will be completed.

Lord Astor of Hever: The renovation and refurbishment of the Ledra Palace Hotel continues as part of an agreed three-year programme between 2007 and 2010 between the Republic of Cyprus and the UN. All work on the external fabric of the building is now finished providing a "watertight structure". The remaining work is now focused upon the renovation of rooms within the building and improvements to "quality of life" facilities. Renovations have been completed in the public areas including the medical centre and the gymnasium; the kitchen and dining areas have been refurbished including the provision of new kitchen equipment; the main power supply has been replaced and Ledra Palace Hotel has been completely rewired; the fire detection and alarm systems have been completed, and asbestos has been removed from the boiler room and cellar. Work continues on the accommodation: 52 renovated rooms have been handed over so far, with the remainder scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010.

Armed Forces: Drumadd Barracks

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Army vacated Drumadd Barracks in Armagh; and what progress has been made in disposing of the property.

Lord Astor of Hever: The former military base at Drumadd Barracks, Armagh, was vacated by the Army in July 2007, and handed over to defence estates for disposal. After preliminary discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive and other key stakeholders, the site will now be placed on the open market for sale later this year in accordance with the departmental minute laid before Parliament on 24 June 2010 and the net proceeds will be transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive.

Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the market value of investments held in the asset purchase facility operated by the Bank of England; what was the cost of those investments; what has been the net realised gain from the facility since it was established; and what has been the income of the facility and the cost of financing investments made.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England will publish accounts for the asset purchase facility (APF) in late July. The amount due from HM Treasury under its indemnity to the Bank will be identified. As in 2009, the Treasury will include the implications of the APF for Treasury resources, that is, the profit or loss of the APF based on valuations of APF assets at balance sheet date, in its annual accounts for the year ending 31 March. Any profit or loss on the APF will crystallise only once the fund is wound up.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Her Majesty's Treasury, the Bank of England or the Financial Services Authority have powers to restrict the availability or cost of credit given to United Kingdom borrowers by banks that are not regulated in the United Kingdom or the European Union; and whether they have powers to control the pricing or the making available of credit to United Kingdom borrowers through commercial paper, securitised loans, covered bonds or corporate bonds or debentures.

Lord Sassoon: Neither the Treasury, the Bank of England, nor the Financial Services Authority has direct powers over the matters raised in this question.

Banking

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in considering plans for addressing situations in which United Kingdom banks are in financial difficulty, they have taken into account the experience of countries which restructured banks with minimal support from public funds, including Kazakhstan.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have considered international experiences of bank restructuring. This included appraisal of restructuring methods used by various countries and how successful they were. Kazakhstan was not looked at in detail in this project.

Banking: Asset Protection Agency

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when a report will be published on the activities and performance of the Asset Protection Agency.

Lord Sassoon: The Asset Protection Agency's annual report and accounts were published on 22 July 2010. The documents can be found via the following web link at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/apa_publications.htm.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they give to farmers who wish to inoculate their cattle against bovine tuberculosis.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have carried out or commissioned in the past five years on developing a vaccine to prevent bovine tuberculosis; and what were the results of that research.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of inoculating cattle against bovine tuberculosis.

Lord Henley: Since 1998, a wide-ranging programme of research into both cattle and badger vaccines has been in place, with over £29.9 million invested up to the end of the 2009-10 financial year. Results of completed research projects have been peer-reviewed and published in scientific journals and on the Defra website.
	The cattle vaccines research programme has successfully identified lead BCG-based candidate vaccines for bTB and work is under way to support the licence application for an injectable BCG vaccine for use in cattle. However, vaccination of cattle against TB is currently prohibited under EU legislation. BCG interferes with the primary TB diagnostic test, the tuberculin skin test, so vaccinated cattle would react as if infected and herds could not be declared officially TB free (OTF). Therefore, as part of the UK research programme we are carrying out work to develop and validate a diagnostic test to differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals (a so-called DIVA test). Changes will be required to the EU legislation to allow this test to be used in place of, or alongside, the tuberculin skin test to confer OTF status. Because we are still at this early stage of developing a useable cattle vaccine, we have not yet been able to assess the costs of vaccinating cattle.
	Badger vaccines are further progressed. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) issued a licence for the injectable BCG badger vaccine in March 2010, the first tuberculosis vaccine authorised for use in badgers in the UK. A separate strand of research to develop an oral BCG vaccine bait formulation and delivery protocol is being conducted in collaboration with researchers in the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand, as this will be the most practical application of a vaccine to a wild population.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a person born abroad to a British mother who was herself born abroad to a British citizen father and a foreign mother is entitled to be registered as a British citizen under Section 4C of the British Nationality Act 1981.

Baroness Neville-Jones: A person born outside the United Kingdom and colonies before 1 January 1983 to a British mother who was also born outside the United Kingdom and colonies may have an entitlement to register under Section 4C of the British Nationality Act 1981 depending on the individual circumstances of the case.
	A person will qualify for registration under Section 4C if, had women been able to pass on citizenship in the same way as men before 1983, he or she would have become a citizen of the United Kingdom and colonies under the British Nationality Act 1948 and also acquired the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
	A child born outside the United Kingdom and colonies to a parent who held that status by descent would not normally have acquired citizenship by descent under the 1948 Act. However, there are certain exceptions to this which might apply in this case once the full facts are presented.
	The person concerned should therefore be advised to contact the UK Border Agency for further advice, providing full details of their birth and the birth of their parents and grandparents.

British Overseas Territories

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how their plan to cut the funding for British overseas territories by 10 per cent this year will be achieved; which projects will be affected; and which territories will have their funding cut.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As announced on 29 June 2010 in a Written Ministerial Statement, (Official Report, col. 37WS) by my right honourable the Secretary of State, following a review of all the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) programme spend, the Overseas Territories Programme Fund (OTPF) for this financial year (10-11) was cut by 10 per cent as a contribution to reducing public expenditure. The Statement made clear our desire to sustain in future years (resources permitting) the FCO's programme spending in support of the overseas territories. The cuts will be made by reducing the allocations of a number of OTPF programmes. The Overseas Territories Programme Fund is only one way that the FCO contributes towards the good governance, safety and security of the overseas territories. The FCO will continue to provide support in all the areas where reductions have been made.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the Government of Germany about the export of industrial equipment to Burma which could be used for the development of a nuclear weapons programme.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have not had any discussions with the German Government about the export of industrial equipment to Burma which could be used for the development of a nuclear weapons programme. We continue to urge Burma to act strictly in accordance with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to abide by the terms and conditions of its International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement, and declare all nuclear material in its possession. Our ambassador to Rangoon has recently lobbied the Burmese regime on their obligations under UN sanctions and raised proliferation concerns with senior members of the military regime and we will continue to raise our concerns at the highest possible level.

Children: Forced Labour

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much aid they have provided to India in the past decade; and whether, in their review of aid to India, they will prioritise funding to end the use of child labour and the development of educational opportunities for children working in sweatshops.

Baroness Verma: Details of aid provided to India by the Department for International Development (DfID) are published annually in Statistics on International Development, which is available in the House Library and on the DfID website. DfID provided the following in bilateral aid to India in each of the past 10 years:
	
		
			 Financial year Amount (000) 
			 2000/01 116,914 
			 2001/02 184,973 
			 2002/03 160,820 
			 2003-04 199,526 
			 2004-05 257,649 
			 2005-06 252,759 
			 2006-07 233,857 
			 2007-08 275,406 
			 2008-09 297,032 
			 2009-10* 295,125 
		
	
	* The figure for 2009-10 is a provisional figure published in DFID in 2009-10. Final figures will be published in Statistics on International Development later this year.
	The bilateral aid review will look at the needs facing each country, the results that should be prioritised in each country and how DfID can deliver value for money. Child labour is unacceptable and the coalition Government are committed to tackling it. Investment in primary and lower secondary education reduces child labour rates and education will be a strategic priority under the review. UK aid has helped 60 million Indian children get into school since 2003.

Civil Service: Redundancy

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants made redundant by voluntary or compulsory severance have received (a) service and age-related payments, (b) enhanced early retirement terms, and (c) compensation in lieu of notice, under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in each of the last five years; and what was the average cost of each of those.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Civil servants who are made redundant receive, depending on their age and length of service, either a cash payment under the compulsory early severance terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, or an enhanced early pension (or annual compensation payment) under the compulsory early retirement terms.
	Employers may also pay the compulsory terms in circumstances other than redundancy, as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
	Compensation in lieu of notice is payable under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme on the compulsory early termination of a civil servant's employment where their employer has not given them the period of notice required under the Civil Service Management Code.
	It is estimated that during the period April 2005 to March 2008, around 10,000 civil servants left on compulsory early severance, at an average cost of around £42,000 each, and around 6,500 civil servants left on compulsory early retirement at an average cost of around £97,000 each. The remainder of the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Climate Change

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister's "leading role in seeking global action on climate change" referred to by the Foreign Secretary in his speech on 1 July will be affected by the cut in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's spending on its low-carbon high-growth programme of around £3 million this financial year.

Lord Howell of Guildford: No. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary announced a reduction this year in the strategic programme fund for low carbon high growth, as a contribution to reducing public expenditure. However, programme funds are only one way in which the Government are pursuing action to tackle climate change and encourage the development of a low carbon high growth global economy, and this area of work still remains a major focus of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's bilateral and multilateral diplomatic activity.

Coastal Erosion

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Davies of Oldham on 30 March (WS 183), in what circumstances the coastal erosion assistance grant is made available to homeowners.

Lord Henley: Coastal local authorities are able to apply for a coastal erosion assistance grant of £6,000. The grant is intended to help with the initial transitional costs associated with loss of a residential property as a result of coastal erosion in instances where no alternative provision such as insurance is available. Principally, it will be available to help with the costs associated with demolishing any residential property at risk of loss because of coastal erosion. It may then additionally be used by the authority to help with basic moving costs where this would be appropriate.
	The assistance grant is available in areas regardless of whether the property has been defended or not. To qualify for the support, the property must have been purchased prior to 15 June 2009, which was the first day of the grant's consultation period. It should additionally have been vacated by agreement, demolished or lost to erosion after this date.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have for the strategic objectives of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) is reviewing the Commonwealth Development Corporation's (CDC's) role to ensure that it contributes fully to the Government's development objectives. I will inform the House of any decisions that are made regarding CDC.

Communities: Preventing Extremism

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to increase community programmes that promote interfaith dialogue and cohesion.

Baroness Hanham: In the present financial year my department is supporting Faiths in Action, a small grants scheme through which grants of up to £6,000 are made to support innovative local inter faith projects. Information about the programme may be found on the website of the Community Development Foundation. My department will also be making financial support available for activities in Inter Faith Week this November.
	We have made these spending commitments, which total over £2 million, because we recognise that inter faith dialogue and action do much to increase community cohesion. Future financial support for cohesion and other programmes is a matter for the spending review which will conclude in the autumn. Meanwhile, the Government are working closely with the Christian churches and other faith communities to ensure that they are involved in building the big society, in which individuals and groups take responsibility for improving their communities.

Consumer Credit

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Consumer Credit (EU Directive) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1010), the Consumer Credit (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1013), and the Consumer Credit (Agreements) Regulations (SI 2010/1014) apply to credit unions; and, if so, what will be the effect on staffing and costs and changes to information technology systems.

Baroness Wilcox: These regulations do not apply to credit unions. Credit unions are currently exempt from the provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and that position is unchanged by these regulations.

Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will implement by April 2011 the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 on the duty of care a provider of custody owes to a person who is detained.

Lord McNally: We are currently considering, in conjunction with the custody providers, when to commence Section 2(1)(d) of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 which relates to the duty of care custody providers owe to those who are detained. We will make a further announcement in due course.

Crime: Disadvantaged Areas

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 6 July (WA 37-8), what evidence on performance and policy effectiveness there is to support the planned introduction of directly elected individuals to enable the public to hold the police to account; and what resources there will be for such individuals.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The national thematic report on police authority performance, published in March this year by HMIC and the Audit Commission, set out that "the performance of most police authorities is 'adequate ... [and] only one [authority] was assessed as performing well across all four themes'". Adequate in this case is defined as meaning there were at least some of the basic minimum requirements of their role which all bar one authority failed to meet. Further, Cabinet Office research from 2007 showed 68 per cent of the public agree there should be a person elected by local people to hold the police to account on behalf of the community, whereas only seven per cent understood the role of their police authority.
	The Government believe that enabling the public directly to elect an individual to hold the chief constable to account on their behalf will give them a strong advocate in the setting of their policing budget and priorities, and enable them to hold that individual to account at the ballot box.
	The Government will consult in due course on a number of policing-related issues, including their proposals on directly elected individuals in preparation for the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill this autumn.

Crime: Domestic Violence

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their plan for funding the Sojourner Project, run by Eaves Housing for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds.

Baroness Neville-Jones: A Home Office pilot project for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds commenced in November 2009 and was scheduled to run to the end of August 2010. On 16 July, the Home Secretary announced an extension to the pilot until the end of March 2011 and a commitment to find a long-term funding solution to the issue. The pilot is monitored on a monthly basis and a full evaluation will take place following completion of the pilot.

Cumbrian Shooting Incident

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they gave to requesting the Independent Police Complaints Commission to oversee the investigation by Cumbria Constabulary into its response to events involving Mr Derrick Bird.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Independent Police Complaints Commission is operationally independent of government and is responsible for determining how any specific complaint or investigation should be managed. Police forces have a duty to refer certain matters to the IPCC, including where police conduct may have contributed to the death or serious injury of an individual, and the IPCC may, in addition, require any specific complaint to be referred to it if it so chooses.
	I understand that, as is normal practice in such cases, there has been regular contact between the IPCC and Cumbria Constabulary about the events involving Mr Derrick Bird and that the IPCC has not requested any referral at this stage.

Data Protection

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their stance on the European Commission's proposal to allow the transfer to Israel of personal data on United Kingdom and other European citizens.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The EU's Article 29 Data Protection Working Party has made a positive assessment of the level of data protection in Israel and concluded Israel guarantees an adequate level of protection for international data transfers. The UK Information Commissioner sits on this group. The decision to grant adequacy is taken only once it is clear, on the basis of a detailed assessment, that the data protection and privacy laws of the third country offer safeguards comparable to those in place in the EU. The decision will be voted on by member states.
	The UK supports the decision to grant adequacy. Such decisions play an important role in ensuring that UK businesses are able to transfer personal data efficiently outside the EU, while ensuring that individual citizens' data will be properly handled and their privacy respected.

Debt: Moneylending

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 20 July (WA 190), what assessment they have made of the effect of the expenditure since 2004 of £21 million by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on countering illegal moneylending on the results given in the answer; and whether they intend to continue that expenditure.

Baroness Wilcox: The department has commissioned an evaluation of the illegal moneylending project, which is expected to report over the summer. Decisions regarding further funding of the project will be made as part of the Government's spending review, which is due to report in October.

Economy

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have submitted ideas to HM Treasury on how to cut the budget deficit.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are taking an entirely new approach to the spending review by consulting directly with those whose taxes pay for public services. As of 23 July, the Treasury has received approximately 90,000 ideas from individuals through the Spending Challenge websites and direct correspondence.

Education: Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Howell of Guildford on 29 June (WS 128-30), how they will achieve the cut of £10 million to this year's programme of scholarships.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We will maintain a substantial programme of scholarships to bring future decision-takers and opinion-formers to the UK. Doing so is an important part of our work to improve Britain's standing in the world. The lower number of scholarships awarded in 2010-11 is targeted towards the countries and issues of highest priority. The final number will depend on the amount of additional funding from partners, which is still to be confirmed. We will make the savings in different areas:
	reduce the administrative costs of the scheme by lowering the management fee paid to the British CouncilWe did not yet have any commitments to fellowships in 2010-11 and so they will not proceed.We will not fund projects to help posts develop their networks with alumni this year.
	We are committed to maintaining our full £2.2 million for Marshall scholarships for US students in 2010-11, and also the funding for existing Commonwealth scholars from developed Commonwealth countries who started in 2008-09 or earlier and are completing their PhDs and for existing Chevening scholars in the 2009-10 academic year.

Education: Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Howell of Guildford on 29 June (WS 128-30), whether the cut of £10 million in scholarship funding for this year will affect the Chevening scholarships; and, if so, how.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We will maintain a substantial programme of scholarships to bring future decision-takers and opinion-formers to the UK. Doing so is an important part of our work to improve Britain's standing in the world. The lower number of scholarships awarded in 2010-11 is targeted towards the countries and issues of highest priority. The final number will depend on the amount of additional funding from partners, which is still to be confirmed. We will make the savings in different areas:
	We will reduce the administrative costs of the scheme by lowering the management fee paid to the British Council
	We did not have any commitments to Fellowships in 2010-11 and so they will not proceed.
	We will not fund projects to help posts to develop their networks with alumni this year.
	We are committed to maintaining our full £2.2 million for Marshall scholarships for US students in 2010-11, and also the funding for existing Commonwealth scholars from developed Commonwealth countries who started in 2008-09 or earlier and are completing their PhDs and for existing Chevening scholars in the 2009-10 academic year.

Education: Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Howell of Guildford on 29 June (WS 128-30), what long-term impact the decision to "target a smaller group of people" in the programme of scholarships will have on the Chevening scholarship programme.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We will maintain a substantial programme of scholarships to bring future decision-takers and opinion-formers to the UK. Doing so is an important part of our work to improve Britain's standing in the world. The lower number of scholarships awarded in 2010-11 is targeted towards the countries and issues of highest priority. The final number will depend on the amount of additional funding from partners, which is still to be confirmed. We will make the savings in different areas:
	reduce the administrative costs of the scheme by lowering the management fee paid to the British Council
	We did not yet have any commitments to fellowships in 2010-11 and so they will not proceed.
	We will not fund projects to help posts develop their networks with alumni this year.
	We are committed to maintaining our full £2.2 million for Marshall scholarships for US students in 2010-11, and also the funding for existing Commonwealth scholars from developed Commonwealth countries who started in 2008-09 or earlier and are completing their PhDs and for existing Chevening scholars in the 2009-10 academic year.

Elections: Voting System

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 14 June (WA 65), whether, under the alternative vote system to be put to a referendum next year, voters will be required to rank all candidates in order of preference.

Lord McNally: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 20 July (Official Report, cols. WA192-193).

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what criteria members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority are appointed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the duration of membership of each member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Earl Howe: In 2009, applicants for appointment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) were required to demonstrate that they met the following criteria:
	An outstanding track record in one of the following fields: clinical embryology-senior embryologist in a HFEA licensed establishment, within clinical practice; biological sciences-scientist specialising in a biological discipline (eg cell biology) working outside the fertility sector;faith ministry or theology-open to applicants of all faiths and beliefs;an interest in the wider implications of assisted reproduction and embryo research;the ability to understand and keep abreast of developments in the treatment of, and research into, infertility, without necessarily having expertise in the field;high level analytical skills and the ability to apply them to discussion on high profile, complex and sensitive clinical, scientific, ethical and legal issues;excellent communication skills;good interpersonal skills to support effective discussion with a range of stakeholders; andability to be a good team player able to play a full part in discussions and willing to accept the majority view.
	While not essential for appointment to the HFEA, experience at board level in the public, not for profit, regulatory sector or equivalent was also desirable.
	Paragraph 5(2) of Schedule 1 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, limits the term of a single appointment to a maximum period of three years. However, members may serve additional terms of office, continuously and in the same role, up to a maximum total duration of 10 years, as set out in paragraph 5.17 of The Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies, which can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointment's website at: http://www.publicappointmentscommissioner.org/Code_of_Practice/.
	The duration of the appointment of each of the members of the HFEA is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Name(1) Date first appointment commenced(1) Date current appointment ends(1) 
			 Prof. Lisa Jardine (Chair) 01.04.08(2) 16.01.11 
			 Prof. Emily Jackson (Deputy Chair)(3) 01.01.09 31.12.11 
			 Mr Hossam Abdalla 01.10.04 29.09.10 
			 Prof. David Archard 01.11.05 31.10.11 
			 Mrs Debbie Barber 01.09.08 31.08.11 
			 Ms Anna Carragher 07.11.06 06.11.12 
			 Mrs Sally Cheshire 07.11.06 06.11.12 
			 Dr. Mair Crouch 01.09.08 31.08.11 
			 Ms Jane Dibblin 01.09.08 31.08.11 
			 Mrs Rebekah Dundas 01.01.07 31.12.12 
			 Mrs Ruth Fasht 01.11.05 31.10.11 
			 Dr. Andrew Greenfield 09.11.09 08.11.12 
			 Prof. Neva Haites 02.12.02 30.11.11 
			 Ms Gemma Hobcraft 01.09.08 31.08.11 
			 Rev. Ermal Kirby 01.01.10 31.12.12 
			 Prof. William Ledger 07.11.06 06.11.12 
			 Ms Clare Lewis-Jones 02.12.02 30.11.11 
			 Ms Lillian Neville 01.09.08 31.08.11 
			 Dr. Susan Price 01.02.06 31.01.12 
			 Prof. Lesley Regan 01.09.08 31.08.11 
			 Dr. Alan Thornhill 09.11.09 08.11.12 
		
	
	Notes
	1. HFEA members appointments as at 15 July 2010.
	2. Prof. Jardine was appointed to the chair of the HFEA on 17 January 2008 but did not take up her post until 1 April 2008.
	3. Following her appointment as deputy chair, Prof. Jackson's maximum period for appointment begins again from 1 January 2009. Previous services as an ordinary member is not counted toward this new period.

Employment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new jobs are forecast to be created between 2010 and 2015; how many of those will be created by the private sector; how many will be dependent on public expenditure; and how such forecasts are compiled.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public sector jobs are forecast to be lost as a result of planned reductions in public expenditure; and how many private sector jobs are forecast to be lost as a consequence of reductions in public expenditure.

Lord Sassoon: Paragraphs 3.50 to 3.52 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) Pre-Budget forecast (June 2010) and 0.20 to 0.21 of the OBR's Budget forecast (Budget 2010, HC 61) set out the detail of its labour market forecast.
	The OBR has released further information on its employment forecast subsequently. The OBR forecasts show that total employment is expected to rise by 1.3 million by 2015-16.
	The OBR forecast can be found at: http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html

Employment

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the change in the number of jobs in (a) the public sector, and (b) the private sector, in each of the next five years.

Lord Sassoon: Paragraphs 3.50 to 3.52 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) pre-Budget forecast (June 2010) and 0.20 to 0.21 of the OBR's Budget forecast (Budget 2010, HC 61) set out the detail of its labour market forecast.
	The OBR has subsequently released further information on its employment forecast. The OBR forecasts show that total employment is expected to rise by 1.3 million by 2015-16.
	The OBR forecast can be found at: http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html

EU: Flag

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom can be compelled to fly the European Union flag or use prescribed logos.

Baroness Hanham: The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) is the managing authority for the European Development Fund (ERDF). Among other things under EC Regulation 1828/2006, Article 7(2), CLG is required to fly the EU flag for one week from 9 May from the front of its premises. There are two flag poles outside the departmental building of Eland House, and it is the policy of the department always to fly the United Kingdom's Union Flag in the superior position.
	Article 9 of the same EC regulation requires that all information and publicity aimed at beneficiaries, potential beneficiaries and the public generally includes the EU emblem, a reference to ERDF and a statement highlighting the added value of the intervention of the Community, in accordance with set graphical standards. In addition, Article 69(1) of EC Regulation 1083/2006 requires that all member states, which act as managing authorities for EU funded programmes, ensure that projects highlight the role of the EU.
	As laid out in my department's press release of 7 July 2010, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State is keen to challenge the complicated and over-bureaucratic rules and to avoid penalties being imposed for minor infringements of the regulations-such as for not displaying the EU emblem. Furthermore, he is urgently reviewing how these funds are managed and distributed to make sure that taxpayers' money is used wisely.

European Commission: Media

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 12 July (WA 96) about the payment of journalists by the European Commission, what assessment they have made of the impact of that policy on public opinion of the European Commission.

Lord Howell of Guildford: At a time when both citizens and Governments across the EU are reining in their spending, the EU institutions should be more rigorous in making sure that they get the maximum value out of every euro of taxpayers' money that they spend. I am confident that the majority of public opinion in the UK would agree with me that paying journalists is not a good use of EU funding.

Export Industry

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to strengthen the United Kingdom's export industry.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government are bringing forward a range of policies in areas such as finance, taxation, innovation and skills that will underpin the competitiveness of all companies across the economy. These policies will help exporters and non-exporters alike.
	The Government recognise that increasing exports is key to rebalancing the economy and that open markets within which UK companies can trade is essential to export success. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI-a joint FCO-BIS Department) will continue to work closely together in order to strengthen the UK's relations with the fastest-growing areas of the world economy, and remove barriers to trade globally. This includes working closely with EU partners and the G20 to press to complete the Doha trade talks, while also securing ambitious free trade agreements with countries such as India and Korea.
	Government support services for exporters are delivered primarily through UKTI, in partnership with the trade promotion organisations in the devolved Administrations. This support has provided significant and demonstrable benefits for exporters, both those new to export and for experienced exporters seeking to expand into new and more challenging markets. In 2009-10 UKTI helped 23,600 companies. Independent evaluation of the impact of this support, based on companies' own estimates, shows that UKTI's support added an additional £5 billion to bottom line profits: that is £19 of profits these companies would not otherwise have made for every £1 of UKTI spend on trade services.

Fishing: Common Fisheries Policy

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 12 July (WA 97), which European Union countries support their position on reform of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries policies; and what voting power those countries have in the Council of Ministers.

Lord Henley: There is broad agreement across the EU about the case for reform of the common fisheries policy, including the need to decentralise and simplify the current complex regulations. Few, if any, member states support the status quo, though views vary as to the changes needed. A draft legislative proposal will be published in 2011 and the UK is fully engaged in dialogue with other member states, the European Commission, industry, environmental NGOs and scientists to establish common ground for reform.
	The UK's aim of a competitive, thriving and sustainable agriculture sector is supported by all member states. The Government are starting to consider their detailed position on reform of the common agricultural policy beyond 2013. Individual member states' positions will become clear in their responses to the European Commission's communication on CAP reform later this year.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plans for communicating foreign policy in the way that the Obama Administration have "grasped and articulated most effectively, communicating directly with citizens in the Muslim-majority world", referred to by the Foreign Secretary in his speech on 1 July, will be affected by cutting this year's public diplomacy programme by £1.6 million.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made clear, our task is to improve Britain's standing in the world, including in key countries such as Pakistan. We are committed to improving the range and depth of our relationships across the world including in Muslim-majority countries. Through rigorous prioritisation, we will be able to derive necessary efficiency savings from the existing overall public diplomacy programme and maintain our important work to influence international public opinion.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plan to improve Britain's image amongst people in Pakistan, announced by the Foreign Secretary in his speech on 1 July, takes account of the cut in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's public diplomacy programme by £1.6 million this financial year.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made clear, our task is to improve Britain's standing in the world, including in key countries such as Pakistan. We are committed to improving the range and depth of our relationships across the world including in Muslim-majority countries. Through rigorous prioritisation, we will be able to derive necessary efficiency savings from the existing overall public diplomacy programme and maintain our important work to influence international public opinion.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the statement in the Foreign Secretary's speech of 1 July that "we overlook international opinion at our peril" relates to the cut of £1.6 million in this year's public diplomacy programme.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made clear, our task is to improve Britain's standing in the world, including in key countries such as Pakistan. We are committed to improving the range and depth of our relationships across the world including in Muslim-majority countries. Through rigorous prioritisation, we will be able to derive necessary efficiency savings from the existing overall public diplomacy programme and maintain our important work to influence international public opinion.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the proposal in the Foreign Secretary's speech on 1 July to be "at ease with a networked world and harness the full potential of our cultural links" relates to the cut to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's programmes on human rights and democracy by £560,000 this year.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary announced a 10 per cent reduction this year in the strategic programme fund for human rights and democracy as a contribution to reducing public expenditure. He made clear our desire to sustain the programme in future years subject to resources. This reduction still means that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide over £5 million this year in funding for projects that support human rights and democracy, including projects related to elections, freedom of expression, prevention of torture and promotion of criminal justice, among others. Programme funds are only one way in which the Government uphold human rights. They are also a major focus of our overall bilateral and multilateral activity, carried out each day by our network of posts around the world.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the proposal in the Foreign Secretary's speech of 1 July "to inspire others with our values of political freedom" relates to their cut in support for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy of £380,000 this year.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary announced a 10 per cent reduction this year to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy as a contribution to reducing public expenditure. He made clear our desire to sustain funding to the foundation in future years subject to resources. This reduction still means that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide over £3 million this year to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy to support its work around the world in deepening democracy.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the proposal in the Foreign Secretary's speech of 1 July "to inspire others with our values of political freedom" relates to the cut in their programmes on human rights and democracy of £560,000 this year.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary announced a 10 per cent reduction this year in the strategic programme fund for human rights and democracy as a contribution to reducing public expenditure. He made clear our desire to sustain the programme in future years subject to resources. This reduction still means that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide over £5 million this year in funding for projects that support human rights and democracy, including projects related to elections, freedom of expression, prevention of torture and promotion of criminal justice, among others. Programme funds are only one way in which the Government uphold human rights. They are also a major focus of our overall bilateral and multilateral activity, carried out each day by our network of posts around the world.

Foreign Policy

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the proposal in the Foreign Secretary's speech of 1 July for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to be "prioritising" its effort on nuclear proliferation relates to their cutting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's spending in support of nuclear proliferation by 10 per cent this financial year.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary announced a 10 per cent reduction this year in the strategic programme fund for counterproliferation as a contribution to reducing public expenditure. He made clear our desire to sustain the programme in future years. This reduction still means that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide over £2 million through this programme this year to counter weapons proliferation. Programme funds are only one way the Government pursue their aims of preventing nuclear proliferation which remains a high priority and a major focus of our overall bilateral and multilateral activity. The reduction will be delivered through efficiency savings and not through cutting individual projects.

Government Departments: Conflict Strategy

Lord Brett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish a cross-departmental conflict strategy.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Once work on a national security strategy and the strategic defence and strategic defence and security review has been concluded, Ministers will consider how to take forward work to underpin a cross-departmental approach to tackling conflict.

Government: Documents

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 12 July (WA 89), whether the convention that Ministers of one Administration cannot see documents of a previous Administration applies in all circumstances; and, if not, on what grounds documents can be made available.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 12 July (WA 89), what criteria are used to determine which documents of a previous Administration cannot be seen by Ministers of a subsequent Administration.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The criteria for access by Ministers to documents of the previous Administration are contained in Volume 2 of the Directory of Civil Service Guidance which is available in the Library. The guidance is also available on the Cabinet Office website: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/ propriety_and_ethics/assets/csg%20vo12.pdf

Government: Efficiency Review

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 5 July (WA 18), whether the role of Lord Browne of Madingley as their senior non-executive director is analogous to that of the senior independent director under the UK Corporate Governance Code; and whether the appointment process for Lord Browne of Madingley followed the process recommended in that code.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The role of Lord Browne of Madingley as the Government's senior non-executive director has certain similarities with that of a senior independent director under the UK Corporate Governance Code. However, the relevant parts of that code are not universally applicable to the business of government; in particular, the relationship with shareholders has no exact parallel as Ministers are accountable to Parliament and the public.
	Lord Browne will be the lead non-executive on the Cabinet Office board and will work with Secretaries of State to appoint the lead non-executive in each department. He will have access to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the head of the Civil Service and will chair a regular meeting of non-execs from across government.
	A number of individuals were considered for the role of the Government's senior non-executive director. Lord Browne was appointed on the basis of his long-standing experience in business following interviews with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Cabinet Secretary.

Gulf War Illnesses

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations Lord Astor of Hever received from Professor Hooper, President of the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association, about the debate in the House of Lords on Gulf War illnesses on 28 June (Official Report, cols. 1585-97) to which he replied; and what response he will send to Professor Hooper.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence has received the letter from Professor Hooper, President of the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association forwarded by the noble Lord.
	We are currently considering the points made by Professor Hooper and a reply will be sent to the noble Lord shortly. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

Gypsies and Travellers

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue guidance to local authorities about (a) the status of Gypsies and Travellers living on unauthorised sites as homeless under the definition in Section 175 of the Housing Act 1996, and (b) the duty on local authorities to accept applications for assistance from such persons under Section 183 of that Act.

Baroness Hanham: The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, ("the code)" issued by the Secretaries of State, states that applicants are homeless if the accommodation available for their occupation is a caravan or other moveable structure and they do not have a place where they are entitled, or permitted, to put it and live in it. The code also states that if a housing authority has reason to believe that a person applying to the authority for accommodation or assistance in obtaining accommodation may be homeless the authority must make such inquiries as are necessary to satisfy itself whether any duty, and if so what duty, is owed to that person under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996. This guidance applies to all applicants, including those who are Gypsies or Travellers.

Health Bill

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the health bill; and in which House it will be introduced.

Earl Howe: As announced in the Parliamentary debates on the Queen's Speech, the Government will seek to introduce a health Bill in the autumn.
	The House of introduction will be decided by the Government nearer the time of introduction.

Health: Cancer

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their plans for offering screening for bowel cancer to a wider section of the public.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to act on Imperial College London's research findings published in April which recommended screening for bowel cancer to a wider section of the public, such as men aged 50 to 59.

Earl Howe: From 2010, the NHS bowel cancer screening programme is being extended to men and women aged 70 to 75, which will result in around one million more people being screened. In addition, those over the age of 75 will be able to self-refer every two years. The 2010-11 NHS operating framework confirmed that all local bowel screening units should begin the age extension during 2010-11 or on completion of the original two year screening round.
	The results of a study published by Imperial College London in April have shown that a one-off flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening test for bowel cancer at age 55 can reduce mortality by 43 per cent and reduce the incidence of bowel cancer in people attending screening by 33 per cent. The study concluded that FS is a safe and practical test and, when offered only once between ages 55 and 64 years, confers a substantial and long lasting benefit. A copy of the study has been placed in the Library.
	The review of the cancer reform strategy, due to be published in the winter, will address screening men and women in their 50s. The UK national screening committee, working closely with Professor Mike Richards, the bowel screening advisory group and the other United Kingdom countries will formally look at the evidence and provide advice to Ministers, as a matter of urgency, on whether we should introduce this new screening programme.

Health: Cancer

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government when cancer drugs will be available to all patients under the proposed NHS cancer drugs fund; whether the availability of such drugs will be time limited; and whether they will be available for as long as the patient's doctor advises that the patient will benefit.

Earl Howe: The Coalition: Our Programme for Government sets out our commitment to establish a cancer drugs fund from April 2011. We want patients, clinicians and the wider National Health Service to input into the design of the cancer drugs fund and we will set out our plans soon.

Health: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (WA 99-104), which competent institutions supply documentary evidence of persons from European Economic Area member states receiving benefits in kind in the United Kingdom under sickness and maternity insurance that is taken into account when calculating refunds of healthcare costs to those member states.

Earl Howe: The relevant authorities that provide the required documentation under Regulations (EC) 883/2004 and 987/2009 (which entered into force on 1 May 2010, replacing Regulations (EEC) 1408/71 and 574/72 for European Union member states) are listed in the European Commission's Public Directory of European Social Security Institutions, which can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/social-security-directory.

Health: Dentistry

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage other primary care trusts to adopt the model used by the Residential Oral Care Sheffield scheme.

Earl Howe: The document The Coalition: Our Programme for Government commits the Government to introducing a new dentistry contract that will focus on achieving good dental health and increasing access to National Health Service dentistry. The White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS sets out plans for a patient-led NHS; delivering better health outcomes; and a more autonomous and accountable system. The Residential Oral Care Sheffield scheme offers an excellent model of good practice for meeting the oral and dental health needs of a vulnerable group of the population, which we will take into account in developing new arrangements for commissioning primary care dental services.

Health: Dentistry

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of dentistry available to prisoners.

Earl Howe: We do not have a national estimate, but we are aware that meeting the dental care needs of prisoners is challenging because the amount of untreated dental disease among prisoners is approximately four times greater than the level found in the general population with higher incidence of a history of hazardous drinking, smoking and use of illicit drugs. The document The Coalition: Our Programme for Government commits the Government to introducing a new dentistry contract that will focus on achieving good dental health and increasing access to National Health Service dentistry. It will be necessary, in implementing the new contract, to assess the oral health care needs of the inmates of prisons and commission suitably trained and experienced dental practitioners to meet all reasonable needs. We will be considering what guidance is necessary to embed prison dentistry in these new arrangements.

Health: Dentistry

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the facilities in which prison dentistry is provided; and what plans they have to improve such facilities.

Earl Howe: Facilities for the provision of prison dentistry are required to meet the same range of standards as dental surgeries in the community at large. With effect from April 2011, the Care Quality Commission will be responsible for monitoring these standards. In implementing new contractual arrangements for primary care dentistry we will be considering how we can reinforce the requirement for delivery of high quality oral and dental health care for prisoners.

Health: Insurance

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the number of cancer patients who have to cease treatment when their insurer refuses further funding even though the patient's doctor advises that they would still benefit from the treatment, they have assessed the impact of patients returning to the National Health Service for treatment once the proposed NHS cancer drugs fund is operational.

Earl Howe: No such assessment has been made. We will set out our plans for the cancer drugs fund later in the year.

Health: Motor Neurone Disease

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in the United Kingdom have been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in each of the past five years.

Earl Howe: Information on the number of people diagnosed with motor neurone disease is not collected centrally. However, estimates given in the National Service Framework for Long-term Neurological Conditions suggest there are around 1,200 new cases per year in the United Kingdom.

Health: Motor Neurone Disease

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they spend on research into the causes and treatment of motor neurone disease.

Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently providing infrastructure support for 12 studies funded by both commercial and non-commercial organisations in motor neurone disease (MND) via the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN). These studies include a £223,224 NIHR-funded project on non invasive ventilation in MND. The NIHR spent a total of £3.5 million on DeNDRoN in 2009-10.
	The Medical Research Council supports a broad portfolio of MND and MND-related research amounting to £5.5 million in 2008-09.

Health: Orthopaedics

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to produce guidance for general practitioners to assist them in commissioning osteoporosis and fracture services.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote best practice in the management of osteoporosis in care homes.

Earl Howe: There are no current plans to produce guidance for general practitioners to assist them in commissioning osteoporosis and fracture services.
	The department's prevention package for older people includes a focus on falls and fractures and a toolkit which relates to fracture liaison services. This will emphasise key elements of care pathways including ensuring older people are streamlined to specialist care in crisis, the importance of prompt and targeted assessment during acute care and the role of intermediate care in enabling early supported discharge and reducing admissions to long-term care.
	It is the responsibility of care homes to ensure that their residents' needs are assessed and a care plan drawn up to meet them. This should include the ongoing management of any existing long-term medical conditions.

Health: Pain Management

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the national pain audit will include an evaluation of access to specialist services for acute pain in hospitals, chronic pain management programmes and specialist palliative care services; and how the effectiveness of pain management in primary care will be assessed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether hospitals, in monitoring patients' pain scores, will be required to report on an audit of the speed with which a high score is responded to by health care staff.

Earl Howe: The British Pain Society in partnership with Dr Foster manages the national pain audit. The audit will initially collect information on the availability and provision of specialist pain services in hospitals across England and Wales. It does not extend into primary care. When the full data collection rolls out in 2011, it will take in information on outcomes and processes, including the source and date of referral, and pain scores from all new patients with chronic pain participating in the audit. We are inviting the clinical leads for the audit to consider whether correlating referral times and pain scores will provide a useful measure of the quality of care.

Health: Palliative Care

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which palliative care features in the final examinations for all medical and nursing degrees.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the Royal Colleges about ensuring that palliative care is included in higher specialist training in all medical disciplines involved in the care of patients who may be nearing the end of life.

Earl Howe: The General Medical Council (GMC) is the competent authority for medical training in the United Kingdom and the custodian of quality standards in medical education and practice. It is responsible for ensuring that doctors are equipped to deal with the problems they will encounter in practice, including palliative care. The GMC is an independent professional body.
	The GMC's undergraduate, postgraduate and continued practice boards have the general function of promoting high standards of medical education and co-ordinating all stages of medical education. They ensure that students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
	The Nursing and Midwifery Council sets educational standards for nursing and also revalidates educational programmes regularly. It has recently reviewed the standards for pre-registration nurse education and will publish these in the autumn.
	The new standards do not focus specifically on palliative care but the knowledge and skills associated with this are implicit within the required standards. It is for the programme providers to determine the detail of the local curriculum.

House of Lords: Members

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances Members of the House of Lords may be prevented from attending meetings to which persons who are not parliamentary pass holders are invited, which are held in a Civil Service location and which Members of Parliament are allowed to attend.

Baroness Wilcox: Peers and their staff have no automatic right to attend government meetings, whether held in departmental buildings or elsewhere. Whether they are invited to do so would be at the discretion of the department involved.

Housing

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when their national planning framework will be published.

Baroness Hanham: In the coalition agreement the Government stated that they will publish and present to Parliament a simple, consolidated national planning framework, covering all forms of development. We will make an announcement about the national planning framework-and the implications for specific areas of planning policy-in due course.

Housing and Regeneration Act 2008

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Hanham on 14 July (WS 36-37), when they intend to commence Section 318 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.

Baroness Hanham: The Government will be making a decision on Section 318 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 in the context of a wider strategy they are developing in relation to Gypsies and Travellers and an announcement will be made in due course.

Immigration

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that foreign nationals seeking to reside in the United Kingdom have not been complicit in (a) fraudulent activity overseas affecting British financial institutions, and (b) fraud in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Applicants for entry clearance and those applying to remain in this country are checked for UK criminal convictions. Those seeking permission to enter the UK will normally be refused if they have previously been convicted of a criminal offence punishable by at least 12 months imprisonment. A person may be refused permission to stay on the basis of his character, conduct or associations or if he represents a threat to national security. Entry clearance officers will take account of any available local intelligence about a person's criminal activities overseas, but the agency does not have access to foreign governments' criminal records.
	The UK Border Agency is expanding its action against foreign nationals who seek to commit crime in the UK. The agency has established a crime directorate incorporating six regional crime teams, 230 seconded police officers and 350 border and customs investigators. The agency works closely with other organisations such as the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Audit Commission, and is presently reviewing the proposal that it should join the anti-fraud organisation CIFAS for the purpose of sharing information with the financial services sector about fraud and illegal migration.

Immigration: Detention

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the context of their comments about mistreatment of detainees in other countries, they will investigate allegations of the mistreatment during their removal from the United Kingdom of persons who have been detained following failed applications for asylum.

Baroness Neville-Jones: We would prefer that those with no basis of stay in the UK left voluntarily. Where they fail to comply with a requirement to leave, escorts are empowered legally to use force, so long as its use is justified, proportionate and for the shortest possible period. Escorts are accredited by the UK Border Agency to exercise their powers and are trained to a high standard in the use of control and restraint techniques.
	I am aware of allegations that Iraqi returnees removed from the UK on 16 June were mistreated by escorting staff. We strongly reject these. Two members of staff from the UK Border agency were on board the flight and were satisfied that all staff acted with utmost professionalism throughout the flight.
	Complaints or allegations of mistreatment of persons during removal are nonetheless taken very seriously and are subject to a rigorous investigative process by the UK Border Agency's Professional Standards Unit (PSU). Allegations of assault are automatically referred to the police. Any police investigation is completed in parallel to that of the PSU.
	The UK Border Agency has not received any complaints directly from returnees about their treatment during removal although we are liaising with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to gather information about any allegations that may have been lodged elsewhere.
	Baroness O'Loan was appointed in September 2008 by the then Home Secretary to investigate allegations of systematic abuse of immigration detainees by escorting staff published in a dossier entitled Outsourcing Abuse. Her review centred on investigations into the complaints detailed in the dossier and the UK Border Agency's complaints and investigation systems.
	Baroness O'Loan's findings were published on 12 March 2010. She found that there was no evidence to substantiate the central allegation of systematic abuse by escorting staff. At the same time, she recognised that many of the concerns she had about the way a number of the investigations into complaints had been handled in the past had been addressed already by the UK Border Agency following a decision to transfer responsibility for complaints handling from Detention Services to its Professional Standards Unit in February 2008. She none the less made a number of recommendations, accepted by the UK Border Agency, to strengthen the supervision of staff and improve our complaints handling further. The UK Border Agency committed to implement all those recommendations by the end of this financial year.

Immigration: Detention Centres

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to the report of the Independent Monitoring Board on the immigration detention centres at Heathrow Airport published on 23 March, how many children (whether or not accompanied by a responsible adult) were detained for immigration purposes at Heathrow Airport in 2009.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Individuals can be detained in a holding room at Heathrow for up to 24 hours while a decision is considered to refuse or grant leave to enter the UK under the Immigration Act 1971. In the case of unaccompanied children, detention is used only for the short periods while arrangements are made with local children's services for their care.
	In 2009, 1,691 children were detained under Immigration Act powers at Heathrow Airport. Of these, 329 were unaccompanied. These figures include children detained on arrival and those brought to the airport for the purposes of removal from the UK.
	The data are taken from local management information which has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change. We are committed to ending the detention of children.
	Data on the numbers detained in the holding rooms at Heathrow Airport are collected daily on a 24 hour period from midnight to midnight the following day. There may therefore be double counting if children were held in the holding rooms past midnight. A report that excludes duplicate records can be obtained only by detailed examination of individual holding room records at disproportionate cost.

Iran

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran about allegations of violence against women.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is concerned by the plight of women in Iran. On 3 June 2010, on the occasion of women's day in Iran, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Alistair Burt, released a statement to show his support for women activists in Iran. Furthermore, he raised the issue of women's rights during a meeting with the Iranian ambassador on 19 July.

Iran

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made recently to the Government of Iran about human rights.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We believe that the human rights situation in Iran is deplorable, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to take opportunities to raise human rights with the Government of Iran in both a bilateral context, and with EU partners. In the past two months, the Government have made a number of statements about the human rights situation and have met Iranian officials including most recently when my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Alistair Burt, met the Iranian ambassador on 19 July 2010. Furthermore, in Geneva last month, the UK signed up to a cross-regional statement by Norway and signed by 55 other states calling on Iran to improve urgently its human rights record.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 799 of December 1992; and whether they will raise the matter with the Government of Israel, and in the European Union and the United Nations Security Council.

Lord Howell of Guildford: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 799 relates to the deportation by Israel of some 400 Palestinian civilians to Lebanon for a period of one to two years In December 1992. We understand that all Palestinian civilians deported by Israel to Lebanon were returned to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in 1993 in accordance with Operative Paragraph 4 of UNSCR 799. Therefore, we judge that the Israeli Government have complied with the demands of this UNSCR.
	The forcible transfer of people out of the OPTs for political reasons is illegal and in contravention of the provisions on deportation of civilians in Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, when the United Kingdom established diplomatic relations with Israel, recognition was offered to a constitutionally Jewish state or to a state composed of all its citizens.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government accorded de jure recognition to the State of Israel in 1950 subject to two caveats. First, the Government could not offer de jure recognition to Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Secondly, the Government could not regard the boundaries of Israel (as well as those of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) as the definitive boundaries. The UK's statement of recognition was not specific on the question of whether Israel should be a Jewish state, or a state for all its citizens.
	The Government have made clear that we want to see a secure and universally recognised Israel living alongside a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, based on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem the future capital of both states and a fair settlement for refugees.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the applicability of the laws of Israel to east Jerusalem and about the jurisdiction of the courts of Israel there.

Lord Howell of Guildford: In line with UN Security Council Resolution 478 we do not recognise Israel's de facto annexation of east Jerusalem. We consider east Jerusalem to be occupied territory and as such Israel is subject to obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention. We do not recognise the applicability of Israeli law and jurisdiction to east Jerusalem, except where that application is compatible with the Fourth Geneva Convention.
	The Israeli Government are aware of our views on these issues and they are shared by many members of the international community. The UK has a strong record of lobbying hard on issues relating to east Jerusalem; including on house demolitions, evictions and settlements construction, which we consider illegal and harmful to the peace process. We most recently raised Israeli policies in east Jerusalem with the Israeli Government on 14 July 2010 when our ambassador to Tel Aviv called on Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has been compensated for damage to its primary school in Silwan allegedly caused by Israeli excavations.

Baroness Verma: The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has neither requested nor received any compensation for damage caused by the collapse of a building at the Silwan Elementary School for Girls. UNWRA has said it does not have enough information to say for certain what caused the building to collapse. The school has now reopened as the repairs necessary to get the requisite administrative permit have been made. However, building work is outstanding and the laboratory remains closed.

Kazakhstan

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support British companies seeking to do business in Kazakhstan following the visits by President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel to Kazakhstan.

Baroness Wilcox: UK Trade and Investment supports British companies by providing the full range of our services in Kazakhstan through the British embassy in Astana and the Trade Office situated in Atyrau. UKTI also provides support to specific strategies in the education, energy and financial services sectors.
	High level contact is maintained through visits in both directions. The Duke of York, as the UK's special representative for international trade and investment, visited Kazakhstan in April 2010 and previously in 2008. The Lord Mayor of London visited in July of 2009. There has also been regular ministerial contact; David Lidington MP, Minister for Europe, visited Kazakhstan this month. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, then Minister for Energy, also visited Kazakhstan in April 2010. There were also other visits by Baroness Kinnock, then Minister for Europe, and David Lammy MP, then Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, in 2009. The British ambassador in Kazakhstan devotes a great deal of time to supporting business and trade promotion activities.
	High level contact between UK business and the Kazakh Government is also sustained through the Kazakh-British Trade and Industry Council, led by Alderman Sir John Stuttard. The council comprises some of the largest UK investors in Kazakhstan as well as a range of smaller businesses and is developing strategies directly to help UK businesses enter the market. At the last meeting in London in July 2010 the Kazakhstan side was led by First Deputy Prime Minister Shukeev and meetings regularly attract senior level delegations from both sides.

Legislation

Lord Rooker: To ask the Leader of the House whether he will make proposals for public evidence sessions in the Lords for Bills which have not had pre-legislative scrutiny in the House of Commons.

Lord Strathclyde: As announced on 12 July (HL Hansard col. 514), I will be setting up a Leader's Group to conduct a review of the working practices of the House of Lords. The Leader's Group may wish to consider the merits of conducting public evidence sessions on Bills.

Local Government

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the original estimates of the costs and savings of converting the district councils in Cornwall into the unitary Cornwall Council.

Baroness Hanham: Cornwall Council's original proposals for unitary status estimated transition costs of around £19 million and ongoing annual savings of around £15 million after allowing for additional ongoing annual expenditure of around £2 million on localism arrangements.
	However, as the noble Lord will be aware, such estimates of the savings from unitary restructuring were a matter of contention between local authorities, political parties and independent academics.

Local Government

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what have been the costs and savings of converting the district councils in Cornwall into the unitary Cornwall Council.

Baroness Hanham: I refer my noble friend to the Answer given to the honourable Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) by the previous Government on 20 January 2010 (Official Report, Commons, col. 381W).

Millennium Development Goals

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of recent discussions between the Secretary of State for International Development and the Deputy Prime Minister about the agenda and objectives for the United Nations summit on the millennium development goals in New York.

Baroness Verma: The Deputy Prime Minister met the Secretary of State on 7 July to discuss priorities for the United Nations summit on the millennium development goals in New York. The Ministers agreed to work together to ensure a successful outcome in priority areas including maternal health.

Millennium Development Goals

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of their response to the United Nations draft outcome document for the United Nations millennium development goals summit; and what steps they will take to ensure that disabled people and those affected by leprosy and other tropical diseases are included explicitly in the United Nations millennium development goals summit outcome document.

Baroness Verma: The UK Government's response to the United Nations draft outcome document for the United Nations millennium development goals summit is subject to live negotiations. In order to protect our position I do not propose to make the detail public at this stage but we will continue to press for the needs of the most vulnerable to be addressed. We recognise that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) cause a huge burden of suffering and disability. Successfully addressing the NTD challenge is fundamental to achieving the MDGs, particularly MDG 6. We are working to ensure a substantive reference to NTDs in the outcome document. We would be happy to place the final outcome document in the Library of the House as soon as it has been agreed.

Ministry of Defence: Fundraising

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the practice of the Ministry of Defence charging a percentage of profits raised from fundraising events organised by recognised service charities in excess of marginal costs to the ministry.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence does not charge a percentage of profits raised from fundraising events organised by recognised service charities. Rather, where services or facilities or both are provided to external organisations (including charities), the full costs of those services and facilities are normally recovered.
	The department's policy on charging is set out in Joint Service Publication 368, the MoD Guide to Repayment, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Monarchy: Catholicism

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, Mr Mark Harper, on 1 July (Official Report, Commons, col. 111), what questions are being discussed with other Commonwealth Governments regarding the exclusion of Roman Catholics from the throne; and what position the Government are taking in those discussions.

Lord McNally: Discussions with other Commonwealth Governments are still at an early stage. It would be inappropriate to give any further details of those discussions at this time.

National Assistance Act 1948

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to repeal Section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948; and, if so, what plans they have for persons supported by local authorities and with no recourse to public funds.

Earl Howe: The Government have no current plans to repeal Section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948. The Law Commission has just completed a four month public consultation on the reform of adult social care law.
	In April 2011, the Law Commission will present its final proposals for reform to Government. At that stage, the Government will take decisions on the scope and content of a new, modern statute for adult social care.

NHS Confederation

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the annual running costs to public funds of the NHS Confederation in the past five years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the costs to public funds of NHS Confederation conferences in the past five years.

Earl Howe: The department does not hold this information.

NHS: Conferences and Forums

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the costs to the NHS of holding conferences and forums in the past five years; whether any were held outside the United Kingdom; and, if so, where and when.

Earl Howe: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS: Consultancy Services

Viscount Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a private consultancy was involved in the creation of the phrase in the NHS White Paper "no decision about me, without me"; and, if so, how much the consultancy cost.

Earl Howe: No consultancy was used to inform this policy area during the drafting of the NHS White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, and therefore no consultancy costs were incurred.

Northern Cyprus

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have given to United Kingdom investors who have paid money for villas in northern Cyprus to a British national who has been imprisoned in the United Kingdom leaving the villas incomplete; and whether they have traced the estimated £4.8 million of British citizens' money involved.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) strongly advises British nationals who are subject to property disputes to seek independent legal advice. Guidance on the purchase of property in Cyprus can also be found in the FCO's travel advice for Cyprus at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/cyprus. It is not possible to comment on the detail of any particular case which may be subject to an ongoing investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Northern Ireland: Terrorism

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many alleged Republican terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland originated in the Republic of Ireland during June.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: This is an operational matter for the chief constable of the PSNI. I have asked him to reply directly to the noble Lord, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Office for Budget Responsibility used only secondees from HM Treasury when preparing recent forecasts of employment and unemployment.

Lord Sassoon: All forecasts for the Budget, including those for employment and unemployment, were prepared by the interim Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC), comprising Sir Alan Budd, Graham Parker and Geoffrey Dicks. The interim BRC were supported by a secretariat of HM Treasury employees, redeployed from within the department. The Treasury provided the interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) with full access to its data, analysis and resources necessary to fulfil the OBR's responsibilities.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are in the secretariat supporting the Office for Budget Responsibility; and from which government departments and other institutions they have been recruited or seconded.

Lord Sassoon: The interim Office for Budget Responsibility has an eight person secretariat of economists and public finance experts. The members of the secretariat are HM Treasury employees, redeployed from within the department.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the secondees and support staff provided by HM Treasury for the Office for Budget Responsibility work in the same location they previously occupied in the Treasury.

Lord Sassoon: The secondees and support staff provided by HM Treasury for the interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) do not work in the same location they previously occupied in the Treasury.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the appointments of Mr Geoffrey Dicks and Mr Graham Parker to the Budget Responsibility Committee were made following advice from Sir Alan Budd.

Lord Sassoon: The appointments of Mr Geoffrey Dicks and Mr Graham Parker to the Budget Responsibility Committee were made following advice from Sir Alan Budd.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers or officials in HM Treasury have given guidance to the Office for Budget Responsibility on the use of statistics and on adhering to previously set timetables for announcements.

Lord Sassoon: Members of the interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) were advised on and followed the National Statistician's guidance on the use of administrative data, where administrative data were relevant to the forecasts produced by the OBR.
	Information released by the interim OBR relates to its forecasts and the assumptions underlying those forecasts. Its releases of such information are not classified as official statistics, and its release practices are therefore not bound by the statistics legislation.
	The interim OBR has set out its release policy, which is available on its website. This sets out that releases will be made in an orderly manner, to a regular schedule and in a way that promotes public confidence and gives equal access to information.

Olympic Games

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took in response to signing United Nations General Assembly Resolution 50/13 of 7 November 1995 about observing the Olympic Truce and promoting "peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the Olympic Games period".
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took in response to signing United Nations General Assembly Resolution 49/29 of 7 December 1994 about observing the Olympic Truce and promoting "peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the Olympic Games period".

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on 21 July (Official Report, col. WA 226).

Overseas Aid

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce voucher schemes in (a) education, and (b) health, as part of their Official Development Assistance; and, if so, how.

Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) currently funds a range of schemes in health and education.
	The Secretary of State has recently initiated a review of all DfID's aid programmes, including health and education, to ensure we achieve value for money and accelerate progress towards the millennium development goals.
	As laid out in The Coalition: Our Programme for Action, DfID will prioritise increasing access to basic services, such as health and education, for the world's poorest people, and will continue to do this via methods that are proven to work.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the exclusion of refugee and overseas student costs from the reporting of Official Development Assistance.

Baroness Verma: The coalition programme for government states that the Government will stick to the rules laid down by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) about what spending counts as aid. We are working with the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to develop clarification of its statistical reporting directives, particularly around expenditure on refugees, and will publish as soon as possible details of the adjustments required to our reporting.

Papal Visit

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost to the Exchequer of the planned state visit to the United Kingdom this year by Pope Benedict XVI.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Pope Benedict XVI will visit the UK at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen. The visit will combine official events, which are the responsibility of the Government, with a number of pastoral events, for which the Catholic Bishops' Conferences of England and Wales and of Scotland are responsible. There are also issues, such as the security and transport of the Pope and his delegation, for which the Government will take responsibility throughout the visit.
	The costs of the visit can be divided into two categories: policing costs, which will be met by the state from within existing policing budgets, and non-policing costs, which will be split between the Catholic Church and the Government. Planning and discussions on the visit are continuing but my noble friend Lord Patten, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister's Special Representative for the Papal Visit, has said he expects the non-policing costs falling to Government to be between £10 million and £12 million. The Catholic Bishops Conference will also be meeting costs which fall to them in relation to the pastoral events.

Police: Funding

Lord Brett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the projected budgets for policing for (a) 2010-11, and (b) 2011-12.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Information on the budget requirements for police authorities in 2010-11 can be found on the websites below of the Department for Communities and Local Government for English police authorities and the Welsh Assembly Government for Welsh police authorities.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1516661.xlshttp://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?Reportld=3725 
	Police authorities will set their budgets for 2011-12 by 1 March next year.
	Revised police funding arrangements for 2010-11 can be found in the Police Grant Report 2010-11: Amending Report 2010-11 on the following link at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100610/wmstext/100610m0003.htm#10061032000021. 
	This was debated and approved in the House of Commons on 14 July.
	Future funding arrangements for 2011-12 onwards will be considered as part of the spending review this autumn.

Population

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they will propose to restrict the population in the United Kingdom.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Population trends are just one of a range of factors departments consider when developing policy. The variation in population in different areas of the United Kingdom means that no single policy on population growth or decline would be appropriate.

Private Security Companies

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a criminal record, particularly for assault, is a bar to employment by private security companies on government contracts; and, if not, whether persons with such records are working as escorts (a) to and from prisons, (b) to and within detention centres, and (c) taking deportees to airports and on flights.

Baroness Neville-Jones: A criminal record does not automatically result in a bar on employment of individuals by companies contracted by the UK Border Agency to provide escorting and custody services. However, applicants are expected to pass rigorous security checks before they can be accredited to work as either a detainee custody officer or a detainee escort officer. These checks include a review of previous convictions, with particular consideration given to:
	the severity of any conviction;the age of the applicant at the time of the offence;the time that has elapsed since the offence took place; andwhether there are single or multiple convictions.
	Accreditation will be authorised only if the conviction is considered to be negligible; or if it took place when the applicant was a child; or if the conviction is long-standing.
	Prospective and current detainee custody officers and detainee escort officers may have a criminal record that includes a conviction for assault. We do not keep centralised records of this information and could provide such detail only by examining individual records at disproportionate cost.
	Individuals accredited to work as detainee custody officers or detainee escort officers are expected to perform the full range of duties of the role for which they have been employed.

Racism

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish national data on victims of racist incidents broken down by ethnicity; and, if they intend to publish such data, when.

Lord McNally: Since 1 April 2008 police forces collect and return data centrally on victims of racist offences (VoR0), but these data have yet to be published due to concerns over the quality and comparability of the data. Further joint guidance from the Ministry of Justice and the Association of Chief Police Officers was issued to all police forces to improve the collection of this requirement in July 2009.
	The intention is to publish these figures, either fully or in part, as part of the annual statistics on race and the criminal justice system report which is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2011.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of repainting the locomotives and rolling stock operated by government-owned east coast trains; and why such work is necessary when they propose to re-let the franchises in 2012.

Earl Attlee: Rail vehicles have a long life; therefore periodic painting is necessary in accordance with a fixed maintenance cycle in order to protect the fabric of the vehicle and prolong its lifespan. The east coast main line company's vehicles are only repainted when this is demanded as part of the normal maintenance cycle of the vehicle.
	The costs associated with repainting the rolling stock are incorporated in the overall maintenance programme.

Raoul Wallenberg (Memorial) Bill

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what files they hold on the Raoul Wallenberg (Memorial) Bill of Session 1989-90.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government hold no files related to the Bill. It is likely that files relating to the Bill, from the 1989-90 Session of Parliament, have been disposed of.

Rural Payments Agency

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff are employed in the Rural Payments Agency; how much they have paid to farmers in the past year; and how those figures compare with similar bodies in other European Union member states.

Lord Henley: At 31 March 2010 there were 3,265 full- time equivalent members of staff employed within the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
	As of 30 June 2010, RPA had paid £1.87 billion to customers under the single payment scheme (SPS).
	For the 2008-09 financial year RPA paid £2.420 billion to customers in relation to schemes administered by the agency. Of this figure £1.845 billion was paid out under the SPS.
	There are over 80 separate paying agencies within the 27 European member states. Detailed information on numbers of staff employed could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Likewise, while each member state is required to publish details of payments made to individual beneficiaries, meaningful comparisons at both paying agency and member state level would also involve disproportionate cost.
	However, for indicative purposes, total Commission reimbursement to member states on Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 schemes for the 2009 financial year (16 October 2008-15 October 2009) was approximately €51.8 billion.

Sport: Motorsport

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how defence procurement expenditure is affected by the high-tech contribution of the motorsport sector.

Lord Astor of Hever: Working with the motorsport sector is one of the new ways in which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is actively engaging with small and medium-sized enterprises to expand the science and technology supply base to defence. Such enterprises are a rich source of creativity and technical innovation and have already demonstrated they can provide rapid solutions to urgent defence requirements.
	The motorsport industry, as with other hi-tech sectors, invests a huge amount of money in research and development. By building relationships with these companies, MoD gains access not only to proven technologies, but also the wealth of expertise that supports them. Through engagements of this kind, MoD seeks to continue to deliver the best equipment to our troops on the front line, increase value for money, and support British industry.

Superannuation Act 1972

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 12 July (WA 112), whether they plan to amend Section 2(3) of the Superannuation Act 1972 as it relates to trade unions having to agree changes in Civil Service redundancy arrangements.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government have introduced the Superannuation Bill to cap payments to civil servants on redundancy. The need for any further legislation will be considered in due course.

Taxation: Corporation Taxation

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 6 July (WA 44), what assessment they have made of the implications for demand in the economy of households in the bottom income decile having to pay indirect tax increases.

Lord Sassoon: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out its assessment of the overall impact of Budget measures, including an increase in the rate of VAT, on the economy in Annex C of Budget 2010 (HC 61).
	The OBR applied a range of fiscal multipliers to key Budget measures to inform its overall judgment on the Budget impact.
	In particular, for a change in the VAT rate rise, it published a short-run fiscal multiplier of 0.35; a VAT rise that yields additional receipts equal to 1 per cent of GDP is estimated to reduce the level of GDP by 0.35 per cent in the short run. A VAT rate rise would not be expected to lead to an immediate one for one fall in GDP, as households and firms adjust their savings to account for the measure.
	The fiscal multipliers used were based on a range of empirical studies. Through time, the immediate effect of Budget measures was assumed to dissipate.
	It did not differentiate between income deciles.

Terrorism

The Earl of Onslow: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their decision to renew the power to detain terrorist suspects without charge for 28 days took account of that power not being used for three years.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Yes. The Government have announced that they are conducting a review of six counterterrorism and security measures and pre-charge detention is part of that review. The fact that the power has not been used for some time will be one of the considerations.

Terrorism

The Earl of Onslow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reasons the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions gave for stating the power to detain terrorist suspects without charge for 28 days remains necessary.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The police and Crown Prosecution Service consider that the arguments contained in the Explanatory Memorandum to the draft Statutory Instrument Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism-Terrorism Act 2008 (Disapplication of Section 25) Order 2010 remain valid. The Government agreed to renew the 28 day renewal order on a temporary basis for six months, while the review of counterterrorism powers considers the important issues involved.

Terrorism

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the use of terrorism laws preventing individuals from taking photographs.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The review of counterterrorism and security powers will include consideration of the use of the Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 stop and search powers and the related issue of the use of counterterrorism powers in relation to photography. As my right honourable friend the Home Secretary informed Parliament on 13 July, the Government will report back to Parliament on the outcome of the review after the Summer Recess.

Turkey

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 7 July (WA 63), whether their practice of not commenting on ongoing legal cases in Turkey is applied to all ongoing legal cases in all countries.

Lord Howell of Guildford: It is not general UK practice to comment on legal cases in other countries.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Turkey about the imprisonment of children; whether there has been or will be a European Union common position on that subject, particularly on the grounds required under anti-terror laws for conviction; and whether they will call in the Turkish ambassador to the Court of St. James's to discuss it.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The current legal position of minors under the anti-terrorism law is unsatisfactory. Children should be treated appropriately in places of detention and during criminal trials. Our embassy in Ankara raised the imprisonment of children, in the context of proposed revisions to the anti-terror law, with their Turkish counterparts in June and strongly encouraged them to pass the draft law before the end of the current parliamentary term.
	There are no immediate plans for an EU common position or to call in the Turkish ambassador to discuss this matter. The Government will continue to monitor developments in this area.

Turkey

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of Turkish citizens that would be entitled to live and work in the United Kingdom in the event of Turkey joining the European Union.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Towards the end of the Turkish EU accession negotiations the European Commission will conduct an assessment of the potential for migration between Turkey and the EU, and make recommendations for necessary controls. It does not make sense for the Commission to conduct this assessment now, because the negotiations are unlikely to near completion for some years. Meanwhile, the Turkish economy is growing strongly and Turkey is going through rapid change.
	The Turkish EU negotiations are progressing slowly. Since the process started in 2005, Turkey has opened and closed one and opened a further 12 out of 35 accession negotiation chapters.
	When the time comes the Government will ensure that the necessary EU measures are agreed to enable us to maintain public confidence in UK immigration control.

Vehicles: Automatic Plate Recognition

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government why predominantly Muslim areas have been selected for the introduction of automatic number plate recognition cameras in Birmingham.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will order the removal of the recently installed automatic number plate recognition cameras in Birmingham.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the consultation process undertaken by West Midlands Police prior to the recent introduction of automatic number plate recognition cameras in the Washwood Heath, Sparkbrook, Moseley and Kings Heath parts of Birmingham.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they require public consultation with local residents before automatic number plate recognition cameras are installed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any suspension of the use of automatic number plate recognition cameras in the Washwood Heath, Sparkbrook, Moseley and Kings Heath parts of Birmingham would include 72 covertly placed cameras.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government assess the consultation process to have been inadequate and West Midlands Police have themselves acknowledged the shortcomings of the original consultation procedure. They will now consult the public, ward members and senior officials from partner agencies in a full and in-depth public consultation into the implementation of project champion, which will take place later this summer.
	In respect of the suspension of the use of the cameras and the consultation process, I refer the noble Lord to the public statement issued by West Midlands Police and Safer Birmingham Partnership on 5 July, and I will place a copy of the statement in the Library. It is also available on its website at: http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/press-release.asp?id=1791.
	In both the coalition agreement and the Queen's Speech, the Government have made a commitment to re-examine the balance between civil liberties and national security. This commitment includes the intention further to regulate CCTV. The Government have widened the review of CCTV to include ANPR and will be bringing forward proposals shortly.

Waterways: Canals

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with British Waterways about canal closures due to water shortages and their impact on tourism.

Lord Henley: The Government have not had any discussions about canal closures due to water shortages and their impact on tourism with British Waterways (BW). This is an operational matter for British Waterways.
	British Waterways has advised the Government of planned closures of parts of the Leeds and Liverpool canal due to severe drought. British Waterways is doing all it can to conserve water levels and will reopen the canal as soon as sufficient water supplies become available. In the mean time, it is contacting all affected customers and will do all it can to minimise the impact on them.